


Kiss The Girl

by eiranerys



Series: Shuann Week 2k19 [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Romance, ShuAnnWeek2k19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-05-18 10:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19333117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eiranerys/pseuds/eiranerys
Summary: Day 2: Touch/KissRen and Anne have started dating, but they haven't kissed yet. Due to this, Ryuji and Futaba see this as an opportunity for blackmail material.





	Kiss The Girl

Ren had been drawn to Anne from the get-go. She had caught him off guard at their first meeting. She had treated him kindly when there seemed to be not a friendly face in sight. They soon became friends—going through a near death situation would do that to you. But slowly getting to know her over the months had slowly blurred the line between friendship and romance.

The tipping point had been when Anne’s best friend Shiho had left Tokyo so to get away from all of the negative feelings Shujin had brought her. Anne had felt so alone and Ren couldn’t stop himself from comforting her.

 _You have me_ _…_ _You'll_ _always have me, Anne, I swear. I need you by my side._

And before he had known it, Anne had let it slip that she had loved him. Those few words had just made his heart soar, though her babbling soon after about how she never realized it until just now had made it irresistible to tease her. She was just too endearing.

He loved all of her, how she was so bubbly and optimistic despite of what she has to go through. Her sillier moments. Her kindness. How she loved her friends with a passion and would fight nail and tooth for them. Her fierceness in the Metaverse.

He couldn’t help but hug her tight. This of course led to more babbling and brought on the tinge of pink that he adored so much on her face. She just looked so adorable… He could lean down and kiss her. But… something held him back.

“So… where does this leave us?” Anne asked, looking at him right in the eyes.

Ren took her hand, rubbing circles on the top of her hand with his thumb. “You said it yourself… we’re not just friends anymore.”

“I know!” Anne bobbed her head. “It’s just… wouldn’t this be kinda weird? You know…” she lowered her voice, “…as Phantom Thieves?”

Anne was sharper than she looked. She could read people as easily as a book. While the dynamic of the team could change if they come clean about their relationship, he was confident in his friends. They knew that Ren treated everyone equally. He wouldn’t favor Anne or try to sideline her in an attempt to keep her safe. (He would be the next target of Anne’s whip if he even _considered_ that.)

There was… Morgana, he had to admit. His friend and roommate had been infatuated with Anne, ever since he had laid eyes on Kamoshida’s cognitive version of her.

But Morgana was a loyal friend. He had proved that, especially during the confrontation with Okumura’s Shadow.

“There shouldn’t be secrets among friends,” Ren said. “If it’s okay with you… I’d really like to tell them.”

Anne let out a thoughtful hum. “Okay.” She nodded. “If you think it’s a good idea, let’s do it then.” She giggled. “I’ve been following your lead for months, and you’ve never led me astray. Why start now?”

“Your faith in me is astounding,” Ren snickered, but he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I was planning on doing a Mementos run tomorrow… so let’s tell them after we’ve finished.”

Anne just beamed, her brilliant blue eyes sparkling at him. “Sounds like a plan!” 

* * *

“I am _so_ ready to hit the sack.”

“Indeed, it is rather late,” Yusuke agreed, glancing at his phone. “It’s almost dark.”

Ren rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry about that, guys.”

“I don’t think you are,” Ryuji scoffed, rolling his eyes at Ren. “Not when you _always_ do this!”  

“It’s more efficient that way,” Ren quickly defended. If you guys are really _that_ tired, you know you can tell me, right?”

“I actually thought it was quite invigorating!” Haru piped up, her brown eyes sparkling. “I’m already looking forward to our next visit!”

Haru… was simply terrifying with that axe of hers. Ren thought it was probably due to her habit of gardening and lugging all those bags of soil. Ironically, she was the shortest out of the girls, save for Futaba who was their mission control.

“We’ll just have to wait for Mishima-kun to suggest more targets then,” Makoto said. “That’s all for today, right, Ren?”

Anne caught his eye for a moment, and that seemed to steel her. She took a step forward, before clearing her throat. “Actually… not quite.”

“What’s up, Anne?” Futaba asked.

“It’s just… well…” Anne met Ren’s gaze, before she blushed slightly.

Ren joined her, taking Anne’s hand in his. “Anne and I have started dating,” he announced, squeezing her hand for a moment before speaking again. “We got together just yesterday afternoon.”

There was a silence. A silence then seemed to drag on and on.

Unsurprisingly, Ryuji was the first to break it. His face broke into a wide smile. “Hey, congrats!” He suddenly caught them in a tight hug, strangling their necks, making them gasp for air.

“Ryuji!” Makoto quickly admonished. “Come on, give them some breathing room.”

“Sorry.” Ryuji continued to grin at him. “Seriously, man, it’s about time! You’ve liked her since June!”

“June?!” Anne rounded on him, her mouth having fallen open. “And you didn’t tell me until _now?!”_

Ren held up his hands. “We were just talking and _he_ brought you up. I was just giving my honest opinion about how lovely you are.”

“Hey, way to throw me under the bus!” Ryuji huffed.

“Congratulations, Ren-kun, Anne-chan!” Haru exclaimed, smiling kindly at them. “I’m happy for you two!”

“Truly… a fine match,” Yusuke declared with a firm nod. “You two are like light and dark, and yet you two are drawn to each other like a moth to a flame.”

“Um, Yusuke… that’s usually a bad thing,” Makoto said slowly.

Futaba bounced up and down for a moment. “About time you romanced her, Ren,” she said with a cheeky smile and a wink. “I’ve seen the way you’ve looked at her.”

“Ren…” Ren took a deep breath at Morgana’s voice. The moment of truth. Morgana sat at Ren’s feet, looking up at Anne before affixing his gaze on Ren. “…Make her happy,” he said simply. “I trust that you can do that, right?”

“I will,” Ren promised. “Anne means so much to me.”

“Seriously, you guys…!” Anne’s eyes began to fill with tears, even as she couldn’t fight back the smile on her face. Her smile… it eclipsed even the sun. Ren didn’t blame her though. He knew that he was grinning too.

“You must grasp what happiness you find,” Yusuke said, now nodding sagely. “I don’t see why you can’t find it together. But that being said…”

“We are _not_ modeling for you,” Anne interjected, her eyes narrowed on Yusuke.

“But it wouldn’t be like last time!” Yusuke protested.

Ren just shrugged at him. “Sorry, Yusuke, but no. Not really comfortable with that.”

“Honestly, Yusuke…” Makoto shook her head, before pressing a hand to her forehead. 

Haru just giggled. “He’s simply passionate about his art, Mako-chan.”

“I suppose, but there really should be a limit…”

Eventually the ruckus finally died down, and everyone slowly began to depart. After soaking in the bathhouse for a while (the Mementos fights had drained him), he plopped into bed, dressed in his usual pajamas.

Morgana jumped into bed with him. But despite everything, Ren couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt as he looked at his friend. He hadn’t meant to fall for Anne. But he knew that Morgana’s feelings would always be unrequited.

“…Hey, Morgana?”

“Hm?” Morgana’s tail swished, as Morgana turned his gaze on Ren. “What’s wrong, Ren?”

“Are you really okay… about me and Anne?”

Morgana was silent for what seemed to be forever. “…I’d be lying if I said I was thrilled,” he admitted. “But… I know you’ll treat Lady Anne like gold. And that’s what she deserves. So as long as she’s happy… I’m happy.”

Ren felt his lips quirk up into a smile. Heh… Morgana sure had matured from the person… cat… he had met so long ago in Kamoshida’s castle.

“I’m glad, buddy,” Ren said, rubbing Morgana on top of his head. Morgana grumbled for a moment, before leaning into Ren’s hand.

The quiet moment was interrupted by Ren’s phone going off. He pulled his phone, glancing at it to see that it was a text from Ryuji.

_Message From: Ryuji_

_[Ryuji]: sooo_ _…_

_[Ryuji]: how far have you guys gone?_

_[Ren]:_ _…_ _really?_

_[Ryuji]: wha? I just wanna know dude!_

_[Ren]: we haven’t even kissed yet_

_[Ryuji]: FOR REAL?!_

_[Ryuji]: dude I thought you would slide in all smooth and get Anne all swoon-y_

_[Ren]: so you think I’m smooth?_

_[Ryuji]: dude i’ve seen Anne oogle you in the Metaverse_

_[Ryuji]; and the beach_

_[Ren]: no we haven’t_

_[Ren]: Just didn’t happen yet we seriously just got together yesterday_

_[Ren]:_ _…_ _also_

_[Ren]: swoon-y? rly?_

_[Ryuji]: aw eff you man D: < _

“So who is it?” Morgana asked.

Ren winced. Okay, Morgana may be okay with him dating Anne but Morgana wouldn’t be happy about hearing what Ryuji was asking.

“Just Ryuji,” he answered, before his phone went off again.

_Message From: Anne_

_[Anne]: Heyyyy_

_[Anne]: since it’s Sunday, I was wondering if we could_ _…_ _go on our first date?_

_[Anne]: Please? >///< _

He didn’t have any solid plans... And he needed to balance everything now with Anne. He couldn’t ignore her.

_[Ren]: Sure, I’d love to. Where do you want to go?_

_[Anne]: Yay!! Umm_ _…_

_[Anne]: Oh, how about a movie! And we could go to Inokashira Park after? Walk around, people watch?_

_[Ren]: We should go on the boat ride after then :)_

_[Ren]: But yeah, I like that. Let’s do it_

_[Anne]: I’m glad! And um_ _…_

 _[Anne]:_ _…_ _love you_

_[Anne]: Good night!_

Ren couldn’t help but chuckle, unable to stop a goofy smile from spreading across his face as he texted a good night text back to her. Oh, Anne… She was just too sweet. And adorable.

* * *

Futaba flopped onto her bed. Her brain was all mush. She couldn’t do coding like this, so maybe she’ll just go straight to bed…

And then her phone went off.

_Message From: Ryuji_

_[Ryuji]: dude, Futaba, you’ve gotta help me out_

_[Futaba]: omg what did you do?_

_[Ryuji]:_ _…_ _huh?_

_[Ryuji]: IT AIN’T LIKE THAT_

_[Ryuji]: look, I was talkin to RenRen and_

_[Ryuji]: he and Anne haven’t kissed yet_

_[Futaba]: aw you’re gossiping_

_[Futaba]: that’s cute_

_[Ryuji]: AW SHUDDUP_

_[Ryuji]: look, I was thinking_

_[Futaba]: a miracle :o_

_[Ryuji]: LEMME GET TO THE POINT_

_[Ryuji]: But anyways, RenRen and Anne haven’t kissed yet so_

_[Ryuji]:_ _…_ _ain_ _’_ _t that good blackmail material?_

_[Futaba]: Oooh, I like the way you think!!_

_[Futaba]: You should do it more, Ryuji_

_[Ryuji]: HEYYYYYY_

_[Ryuji]: but yeah, you need to do your hacker magic and find out when Anne and Ren are going on a date_

_[Futaba]: hacker MAGIC???_

_[Futaba]: excuse u, I had to work HARD to get this good! You think I can just wave a magic wand and then POOF, info??_

_[Ryuji]:_ _…_ _isn’t that how it basically works?_

_[Ryuji]: I mean, you’re crazy good at getting info!_

_[Ryuji]: Can’t you hack into Ren’s texts with Anne?_

_[Futaba]:_ _…_ _give me five minutes._

* * *

Ren stared at his limited wardrobe. He… needed nicer clothes. He knew that despite Anne being a model and all, she was rather modest and wouldn’t care what he wore. But this was their first date.

Wait, didn’t Sojiro give him some cologne…? Claimed that it was a real hit with the ladies… Ren rummaged through his things (okay, wow, maybe he needed to take a day and reorganize his stuff because he had a _lot_ ), before finally pulling out the bottle. He gave a little sniff.

Hm. Not bad. He dabbed on a little before checking his appearance in the mirror. His hair was as unruly as ever, but nothing he could do about that.

He grabbed his wallet before heading down the stairs. Morgana sat at one of the bar stools. “Have fun with Lady Anne,” he said.

Sojiro just laughed, grinning knowingly. “Going somewhere with a lady friend? I see that you’re wearing my little present to you.”

“Something like that.” Ren rubbed the back of his neck. His neck… felt hot. “See ya, Sojiro.”

Futaba gave him a thumbs up from the bar. “Good luck on your romance quest, Ren!”

Ren rolled his eyes at her, before ruffling her hair despite her protests. After shutting the door to Leblanc behind him, he checked his phone to see that Anne had texted him. She had told him that she was already waiting for him at the theater, so he picked up the pace, all but jogging to the train station.

At least Shibuya was one of the closer wards to Yongen-jaya. It wasn’t difficult to find Anne, though.

She was wearing a red mini dress under a black leather jacket that she wore open, paired with black knee high boots and matching tights. But the thing that had caught his attention the most was… her hair was down. It fell down in gentle waves, framing her face. In other words: she looked absolutely stunning.

“Um… too much?” Anne looked at him nervously, smoothing her hands over the dress. “I thought… since it’s our first date…”

Ren just grinned at her. “I was just speechless at how beautiful you look.”

“Oh, stop!” Anne just giggled, blushing a little as she looked him over. “You look rather handsome yourself.”

“You’ve seen me in this before,” Ren laughed.

“It doesn’t take away from it,” Anne shot back, before she hugged his arm, snuggling him for a moment. She then paused, inhaling for a moment. “But hey… are you wearing cologne?”

“Is _that_ too much?” Ren raised an eyebrow at her, though he had to force himself to look at her eyes and not her lips painted a light shade of pink.  

“No, no, it’s just…” A darker shade of pink tinged her cheeks. “I like it,” she confessed shyly. “It suits you.”

Note to self: ask Sojiro where he got this cologne.

“I’m glad.” Ren flashed her a grin. “So… what movie do you want to see? You pick. I don’t care.”

“Oh, but I picked last time we went together!” Anne protested. “Come on, Ren, you pick!”

* * *

“Gag me,” Futaba grumbled, rolling her eyes as Ren and Anne continued their flirty argument. She readjusted her headphones so it fit more snugly over her ears. The bug she had planted on Ren’s phone was useful and all, but this wasn’t really fun to listen to. “Who knew they would be so… mushy?”

“Aw, be quiet,” Ryuji hissed at her. “Just gotta wait it out.”

“Ryuji’s telling me to be quiet? And be patient?” Futaba blinked at him, before readjusting her glasses. “Huh. Maybe the world is ending after all.”

“Ugh, screw you, Futaba.”

Futaba scrunched up her nose. “No thanks.”

Ryuji scowled at her, but Futaba just grinned at him. Hehe. He just made it wayyy too easy.

“So… what’s the plan?” he asked her, squatting down so they were more level with each other.

“Once we find out the theater Ren and Anne are going in… I was thinking that I could hack into the systems. Crank up the air conditioning. They would get all cutesy and cuddly and probably focus on that over the movie. Not ideal, but we snap a photo…” Futaba waved her phone at Ryuji, “and voila! Good ol’ blackmail!” Futaba grinned. “Good enough for you?”

Ryuji nodded furiously, flashing her a grin of his own. “Yeah!” He gave her a thumbs up. “Let’s do it!”

Futaba just rubbed her hands together before turning her attention back to her laptop. Just gotta find out what theater Ren and Anne are heading off to, now…

* * *

They settled on an apparent American classic, _The Princess Bride._ Anne had watched it before, and had simply raved about it. It would be played in the original language, but there would be Japanese subtitles underneath. (Thank god, since he didn’t exactly match his girlfriend’s fluency in English. He still didn’t know why the schools insisted on them learning English…)

After buying some snacks, they settled into the theater. Anne gave a happy little bounce in her seat. Despite the theater being rather dark, it was nearly impossible to miss that bright smile of hers. Ren just chuckled. “You’re really excited.”

Anne’s head bobbed. “The Princess Bride is great! Just wait and see, Ren!”

“Hey, I believe you,” Ren said with a laugh. “I didn’t say I didn’t!”

Anne stuck her tongue at him, but she perked up as the screen suddenly lit. “Ooh, it’s starting!”

Ren had to admit, given Anne’s last choice was a cheesy romance movie, he wasn’t all too sure about this movie. Especially since it seemed pretty old.

But… it was surprisingly good. Funny too, especially with the grandson complaining about the romance.

It was about forty-five minutes in when the air suddenly chilled, dropping at least fifteen degrees. Anne shivered violently, pulling her jacket around her tightly. Ren glanced around, and he could hear murmurings from the others. What the…?

Well, maybe he could do something about Anne at least. Ren hesitantly reached out and wrapped his arm around Anne’s shoulders. Anne looked at him in surprise, but then she smiled at him before resting her head on his shoulder. Light floral perfume tickled his nose. Honeysuckle? He had no clue… All he knew was that it smelled nice.  

Despite their bodies being pressed together, it was still cold enough to distract Ren from the movie. Anne was still shivering a little, so he started to rub her arm. Anne probably was feeling colder than him, since Carmen’s weakness was ice...

Ren tried to focus on the movie but the air was just cold enough to keep him distracted. So it was actually kinda a relief when the movie ended. Weirdly enough, it was warmer once they stepped out to the lobby.

“Jeez…” Anne sighed, twirling a strand of her hair, a pout on her lips. “What were they thinking, cranking the temperature to like, I dunno—ten degrees?!” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Ugh, I’m sorry, Ren… I guess we picked a bad time to go to the movies?” She then began to fuss with her hair. “Well… more _I_ picked a bad time…”

“Hey.” Ren grasped her wrist, and her eyes went all wide. “I mean, it was nice to cuddle with you even though it wasn’t the most comfortable place.”

Anne blushed. “Jeez…” She slowly pulled her hand out of his grip. But then her cheeks went rosy pink. “I mean, we probably will do it at the park too…”

Damn, she looked so cute. Should he just go for it now? But if he did it so abruptly, would Anne be able to kiss back? Maybe he should wait for a… better moment.

Anne then slipped her hand into his and tugged him towards the exit. “Want to get some lunch now? It’s just past one…”

Damn. He missed his chance…

But Ren nodded, smiling at her as he gave her hand a light squeeze. “Sounds good to me.”

* * *

“Ugh, that was a total bust,” Ryuji groaned, hanging his head. “And I was the one freezing my butt off in there…”  

“Shush, Ryuji! We need to follow them! We can’t lose them at the park!” Futaba grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the theater.

Ren and Anne were walking hand-in-hand, and emerged into Central Station. Anne pointed at the crepe stand, giving Ren puppy dog eyes. Ren just laughed. Then he must have said something teasing, since Anne smacked his shoulder, now pouting.

Ren then pulled out his wallet, gesturing to the stand. Anne’s eyes lit up and she immediately started to chatter about which one to get. They ordered their crepes and Ren paid. A few minutes later, they were handed crepes, though it wasn’t the usual cream explosion that Anne loved so much. They headed off towards the station, slowly eating their crepes.

They went and bought tickets for the ward Inokashira Park was located in, but they were careful to enter a different train car than Ren and Anne.

They took their time to leave when the train pulled to their station, so to lessen the chance of Ren and Anne catching sight of them. That would be an insta-fail.

But it wasn’t hard to find them again once they reached the park. Anne’s blonde hair was reallyyy hard to miss.

“Oh man, what are we gonna do now?” Ryuji asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“They talked about a boat ride…” Futaba said slowly, feeling a smile spread across her face. She gave her friend a sly smile. “We could always… reenact that scene. You know, from that Destiny movie Anne showed us! I could hack Ren’s phone to play the song!”

“Oh man, Anne is gonna kill us,” Ryuji said, shaking his head. “But hey, it just might work!”

“May I inquire on what exactly you wish to work?”

Futaba jumped out of her skin at the sudden voice, and she whirled around to see it was Yusuke who had spoken. “Jeez, Inari!” she huffed. “Can you not sneak up on us? What are you even doing here?”

He frowned, gesturing to his sketchpad. “I am people watching.” He then looked between Futaba and Ryuji, before raising an eyebrow. “…I know you cannot claim the same.”

“Well, y’see…” Ryuji slung an arm around Yusuke’s neck. “Futaba and I were hoping to get a shot of Ren and Anne’s first kiss. For… special purposes.”

Yusuke blinked. Several times. Then his eyes lit up, almost sparkling. “Allow me to assist you! I will be able to capture Ren and Anne’s first kiss on paper! Imagine the passion!” His hand then clenched into a fist. “Yes… it is a worthy subject!”

…He knew that Ren and Anne had to come up for air, right?

“Uhh… Yusuke… we were just gonna take a photo on our phones…” Ryuji said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, shaking his head scornfully. “There’s no art in photography! What use is that?!”

…They probably shouldn’t tell him.

“Okayyy…” Ryuji said slowly. “How ‘bout you sketch them and me and Futaba snap a photo? That way we both win!”

“Hm. I suppose.” Yusuke nodded. “Though what were you planning on doing?”

“Well…”      

* * *

The park was much more pleasant. Despite it being October, it was a pleasant autumn day with a light breeze. Though the wind did end up tangling Anne’s hair a bit.

“Ugh, this is why I usually don’t wear my hair down,” Anne whined, before huffing. “I look like a mess!”

“I dunno,” Ren said, tucking his hands in his pockets and then flashing her a grin. “You look pretty perfect to me.”

Anne just giggled, before bumping his shoulder with hers. “Oh, stop!” She shook her head, her cheeks growing pink. “Jeez, you’re such a charmer…”

“You make it all too easy, Anne.” Ren laughed. “But… you wanna know something?”

Anne blinked at him. “…What?”

“I’m gonna beat you to the dock!” Ren said in a rush, before breaking into a sprint.

“Wha…? HEY!" Ren couldn't help but grin at Anne's enraged shout. "GET BACK HERE REN!”

“Gotta catch me!” Ren called back to her, grinning as he saw Anne furiously rush after him.

He started to slow down as the dock came into view. The distance between him and Anne was slowly shrinking. He felt Anne’s arms circle his waist as she tackled him. Her cheeks were flushed red from the exertion, and she was panting heavily. Her eyes had taken on a mixture of blue and green, almost looking aquamarine. Her lips were slightly parted… It would be easy to just lean forward and kiss her, but something in Ren hesitated. He wanted their first kiss to be… meaningful.  

She huffed out, “You… cheater… You made me run in a dress!”  

At least she didn’t notice him totally wussing out. Ugh, what was wrong with him? He can lead his friends into battle, come with strategies on the fly, tackle five meter tall Shadows, but he couldn’t kiss his girlfriend?

But at least he could tease her.

“Are you going to punish me—?” Ren yelped as Anne suddenly poked his side.

“Ohhh, what’s this?” Anne’s smile turned sly. “Does our great leader have a weakness? A _ticklish_ weakness?”

“No, don’t you dare…” Ren quickly pushed her hands away.

“Oh, fine.” Anne winked at him. “I’ll let you off… for now~”

Ren swept a bow. “Thank you, kind and beautiful lady.” He then offered her his arm. “Now shall we rent our chariot?”

“Pffft, chariot?” Anne snickered for a moment. “I don’t think chariots go on water.”

Though it was a nice view. The sun made the water sparkle and he could see quite a few boats on the water.

“You get the picture.” Ren nudged her playfully. “Shall we?”

They approached the rental booth, and Anne insisted on splitting the cost. They paid for a two-person boat, before they were led to the dock. Ren stepped on first, before holding a hand out to Anne. Anne giggled, before accepting it. He waited for her to be settled on the boat before he picked up the oars and began to row.

There was a certain peace to the lake. Willows draped over the edge, offering some shade. There was a slight breeze, making the branches sway. Anne giggled as a family of ducks swam by. He hadn’t really noticed it with Yusuke since Yusuke kept murmuring to himself about finding inspiration.

But Anne… she looked gorgeous… The afternoon sun lit up her hair, making it glow like spun gold. The afternoon light made _her_ glow. Just… wow.

How did he end up so lucky that Anne wanted _him?_

Anne looked back at him, puzzlement on her face. “Is something wrong?”

Ren just smiled, shaking his head. “No… it’s nothing, Anne. It’s perfect.”

No… she was perfect.

 _“There you see her_ _…_ _sitting there across the way._ _”_

…Wait, what?

Anne frowned. “Um… is that coming from your phone?”

Huh? Ren set aside his oars and dug out his phone from his pocket. Sure enough, the crooned lyrics were coming from his phone. What the hell?

 _“She ain’t got a lot to say_ _…_ _but there's_ _something about her._ _”_

He tried to unlock it, but there was no… app. He looked up to give Anne an apologetic smile, but then their eyes met. Anne blushed, quickly looking away. 

_“You don’t know why but you’re dying to try and_ _…_ _kiss the girl._ _”_

Ren felt his face burn. Okay, that was true. He kept hesitating over kissing Anne because he wanted to make it perfect for her. She deserved no less, after all the crap she went through with Kamoshida.

 _“Yes_ _…_ _you want her_ _…_ _look at her, you know you do._ _”_

“S-Seriously, what is…?” Anne’s face was bright red. She shook her head, before forcing a smile. “…Just ignore this, Ren. We should be enjoying our time here…”

 _“It’s possible that she wants you too_ _…_ _there_ _'s_ _one way to ask her_ _…_ _”_

Well… he knew that Anne wanted him. They wouldn’t be together if it wasn’t. But something… something was holding him back from taking the next step and just _kissing_ her.

_“It don’t take a word, not a single word, go on and kiss. The. Girl.”_

Anne then stood up, an angry sound escaping her throat. Something that sounded awfully close to a hiss. “What are you guys doing here?!” she shrieked out.

“Don’t mind us!” Futaba called. She sounded cheerful, but… it was forced. Ren turned to see that somehow they had managed to cram her, Yusuke, and Ryuji in one boat. “Just giving you a nudge!”

“What nudge?!” Anne cried out. “Seriously, what the HELL?!”   

Ugh. Screw this. Ren pulled her back down, ignoring how his phone kept playing the song. “Anne, you’re gonna fall if you keep standing.”

“But Ren, they—mmph!”

Ren leaned forward, placing his hands on her shoulders and cutting her off with a kiss. For a moment, Anne didn’t react. But then she relaxed, almost melting against him. Her arms slid around his neck, playing with his hair.

She tasted sweet. He could taste the crepe on her lips still.   

Then a snapping sound seemed to snap them out of their reverie. They broke apart at Ryuji’s cheer.

“Yes!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Got it!”

“What. Was. That?” Anne hissed out, her eye twitching.

“Ahhhh, Ryuji, row!” Futaba shrieked. “ROW! _Now!_ ”

“You get back here!” Anne shrieked back at them, before she seized the oars and began to row furiously towards their nosy friends. 

Of course, since Ryuji had the early start, they made it back to the dock sooner. The three of them scrambled off and took off in different directions. But when they reached the docks themselves, Anne all but jumped off. Ren quickly stepped off, grabbing Anne’s wrist.

“Anne, can’t we leave it?”

“But they…!”

“I know,” Ren said. “Trust me, they will get their punishment. But… we might as well enjoy our time now, right? And well… I’d like to kiss you properly this time.”

Anne’s cheeks turned rosy. “W-Well…” She smiled bashfully at him. “…Okay.”

He lightly touched her shoulders before he leaned down to kiss her, a long and lingering kiss. It was soft and gentle, instead of how Ren just abruptly kissed her last time. They took their time to explore this time.

“Wow,” Anne breathed out after they slowly broke apart. There was a dreamy look in her eyes, so he guessed he did a decent job. “That was… nice.”

Ren just laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. He then kissed her temple. “This was definitely a memorable date.”

Anne huffed. “I can’t believe they seriously just spied on us and tried to get us to kiss for a picture…!”

“Well… it did lead to one good thing.” Ren smiled at her. “Gave me the right push to kiss you. I was worried about giving you the perfect kiss.”

Anne’s cheeks flushed. “Well…” she mumbled out, scuffing the ground with her boot, “I suppose I can forgive them. Just a teeny tiny bit.”

Ren just laughed before leaning down to give her another kiss. It may not have been the _perfect_ date, but it was definitely a memorable one. He just hoped that he and Anne could make even more great memories in the future.

…Hopefully with a lot of kisses.

**Author's Note:**

> And here's my second Shuann Week prompt, Kiss! As fond as I am of charming Ren, I wanted to explore Ren being a bit more nervous about initiating certain things with Anne. After all, a new relationship is both scary and exciting. I also have a fondness of the trope where the friends are shippers on deck for the main couple, so I wanted to play with that.


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